Today, just prior to noon, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a man stating he just witnessed a car drive into Lake Jacomo at a high rate of speed.

Deputies responded, and with the assistance of Lee’s Summit Underwater Recovery, a vehicle was pulled from the water with a man inside.

The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the victim’s identity and noted what appeared to be a self inflicted gun shot wound to the victim’s head.

The man was then identified as 40-year-old Jeffrey D. Welch of Lee’s Summit, MO.

Investigators have since learned the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force (WMCCTF) was investigating Welch for crimes relating to child pornography. Based upon the suspect’s death, the WMCCTF investigation is now closed.